They Are Alive With the Sound of Music

The Roses n Guns clutch, above, from the Samantha Thavasa by Tinsley Mortimer fall 2010 collection. Also in the rock-inspired line are the Def Leopard and White Snake. Photos from Samantha Thavasa.

THE Roses n Guns is quite the little pistol. Its taupe color evokes gun metal and bullets – a stark contrast to its mostly lace body. Undo the clasp and behold the space. The roominess is reminiscent of those new Volkswagen bugs that look small on the outside but are surprisingly spacious on the inside.

On the bill with RnG is Def Leopard with a fair amount of trunk for the junk and three columns of corset-style laceups in front that tie in a bow, the strings of which fall like fringe.

This is not Lollapalooza, but it is an event. It’s July; it’s after Independence Day. And the calendar is turning at a massive pace toward August. In the fashion industry it is fall launch season. In progress on Madison avenue is the debut of the fall 2010 “Samantha Thavasa by Tinsley Mortimer” handbag collection. It is a five-style, multi-colored affair priced in the several-hundred-dollars range and inspired by five rock bands - guess which ones - that were huge in the 80s. The socialite, girl-about-town and businesswoman had rock ‘n’ roll on the brain for this latest.

“I grew up in the ‘8os listening to this music, and it really speaks to me,” TM explains to Yours Truly. For instance, the lace on the RnG clutch ($325) speaks of nightgowns and that Material Girl, who wore lots of lace in that decade. Alas, when the bags arrive at the store and online next month Madonna will not be among them.

Chains, a big part of the rocker uniform, drape the hobo Metalica ($415) – that is one thick chain rather than enough to outfit a gang. Flanking it are a wider version of the leather, corset-style laceups on Def Leopard ($385) and about the same width of the one on the front of White Snake ($350). It forms a curved pattern reminiscent of a serpent. Another point of interest is that it's tie-dyed, a feature that TM really likes. “We had no idea it was going to come out as nice as this,” she gushes. The purple tie-dye has my attention.

For the rocker chick cleaning up a bit is quilted Poison ($295) that does not exactly scream rock of any age, a fact that doesn’t escape TM.

“Anytime you have a quilted bag people are going to say you are influenced by Chanel but it has a square shape like a lot of '80s bags and it has the long handle,” she points out.

Talk dirty to me!

Learn more about Samantha Thavasa by Tinsley Mortimer collection at http://www.samanthathavasausa.com/.